Lawn-mower



(No Model.)

G. J. PARHAM.

LAWN MOWER. No. 391,069. Patented Oct. 16,1888.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE J. PAR-HAM, OF BEDFOR-D, INDIANA.

LAWN-MOWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 391,069, dated October 16, 1888.

Application filed DeccmberS, 1887. Serial Nov 257,033. (.\'0 model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, Gnoueu J. PARHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bed ford, in the county of Lawrence and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Lawn-Mowers, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in lawn-mowers; and it consists in the construction and novel combination of parts, hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective View of a lawn-mower embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail view, in longitudinal section, of the cutter and finger bars and one of the guard'fingers. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the pitman and operatinglever, thejoiut between them, and co operating parts. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the gearing adjacent to the drive-wheel. Fig. 5 is a detail view of a part of the push-pole.

Referring to the drawings by letter, A designates the main frame of the machine, composed of the similar side bars, a a, connected at suitable points by the cross-bars a a". The rear portions of the said side bars are bent inward, and their ends are bent back to receive between them the heel of the push-pole B, pi"- oted between said ends by the pin 2).

b is a pin that may be passed through registering openings in the said rearwardly-bent ends of the side bars, a, and through either of the openings (6 a in the heel of the push-pole. \Vhen the pin 1) is passed through the latter opening, the push-pole is nearly aligned with the fra1ne,so that when the rear end of thepushpole is elevated to the heightof the operators hands the front end of the frame will be depressed and the cutter-bar will be in position to operate. When the pin is passed through the former opening, the front end of the frame is elevated, so that the machine can be moved from place to place with the cutter-bar raised from the ground.

G is the finger-bar, secured to the front ends of the side bars, a, and having the guard-fingers D attached to it in the usual manner, which guard-fingers are provided on their up per surfaces with the aligned notches d, to receive and hold the cutter-bar as the latter reciprocates.

E is the cutter-bar, having the triangular knives e secured to it and shearing against the faces of the guard linger slots in the usual manner, and e is a pin standing upward from the center of the upper surface of the cutterbar and serving a purpose hereinafter explained.

f is the axle of the machine, journaled at suitable points on the side bars, a, and having the conveying and drive wheel F secured upon it outside of the adjacent side bar, the other conveyingwheel, f, being loose on the axle for convenienceiuturning. Fixed upon the axle between the drive-wheel and adjacent side bar of the main frame is the large gear-wheel G, which meshes with a pinion, g, on the transverse shaft H, which has bearings in depending arms h h, attached at opposite points to the respective side bars, a. The bearing-aru1 h is fixed in position to the corresponding side bar; but the bearing-arm h is pivoted near its upper end to the opposite side bar, and has attached to its upper portion, on the opposite side of the side bar, the rearwardly-projeeting handle-lever I, by means of which the lower portion of the bearing arm can be thrown rearward and the pinion 9 disengaged from thegear-wheel G. The said handle lever, when depressed to engage said pinion and gear-wheel, enters a retaining notch, t, in the adjacent side bar, a, thus preventing the accidental disengagement of the said gearing.

J is a crown-wheel, secured to the shaft H a suitable distance to one side of the center thereof, and meshing with a pinion, K, secured to the rear end of a short longitudinal shaft, k, turning in a bearing secured centrally to the under surface of the cross-bar a, so as to be out of the way of the axle, which is adjacent to said cross-bar. The front end of said shaft 7c has secured upon it a disk, L, provided near its periphery with a circular opening, I, to receive the rear rounded end of the pit-man M. The front end, m, of said pitman is flattened and forms the middle part of a hingejoint, .N, the side parts of which are formed by the arms a a of the bifurcated rear end of the operatingleverO. The said joint is completed by the pintle 0, which fits in aligned openings in the arms a n and end m.

The operating-lever is pivoted at 0 on the center of the upper surface of the cross-bar a", and is provided with a deep longitudinal notch, 0", in its front end, which notch straddies the pin 6 at the center of the cutter-bar and reciprocates the latter.

P is a transverse shaft, having its end journaled in lugs]; 17, rising from the front ends of the side bars, a.

Q Q are lugs projecting forward from the finger-bar over the cutter-bar to prevent the disengagement of the rear edge of the latter.

By placing the shaft 70 and thepivoted point 0 of the operating-lever in the longitudinal axis of the main frame and the pin 6 at the center of the cutterbar the motive power acts more equably on the cutter-bar than when acting at one end thereof, and the said bar-is-not liabletobindinthenotchesoftheguard-fingers.

R is a transverse shaft having its ends journaled in the arms r r, rising from the side bars of the main frame, and S is a pinion on one extended journal of said shaft, which pinion meshes with the gear-wheel G.

sis an endless carrier-band extending nearly the entire distance between the side bars of the main frame and passing around the shafts P and R. The said carrier-band will, when the grass is high, carry the cut grass toward the push-pole and away from the knives, so as not to impede the action of the latter.

When the grass is short, the cut grass will pass over the finger-bar and fall to the ground in rear of the same.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim- 1. The combination of the main frame, the axle, the drive-wheel on said axle, having a gearwheel fixed thereto, the reciprocating cutterbar having an upright pin, the operating-lever notched at one end to straddle said end of the operating-lever, the disk to receive the rear end of the pitman, the shaft carrying said disk and journaled in a crossbar of the main frame and provided onits rear end with a pinion, the shaft H, arranged in rear of the said pinion and carrying a crown-wheel meshing with the same, the pinion g on the outer end of said shaft, engaging the gear-Wheel on the drivewheel, and a lever pivoted on the main frame and connected with the pinion g to throw the same into and out of engagement with the gear-wheel on the drive'wheel, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the main frame consisting of the side bars, a, and the cross-bars a a the adjustable push-pole B, the fingerbar 0, and cut-terbar E, provided with the "central upright pin, 0, the axle, the drivewheel secured to the axle, the gear-wheel G,- fixed on the axle, the shifting-shaft H, the pinion g and crown-wheel J on said shaft, the longitudinal shaft in, journaled centrally on crossbar a of the main frame, the pinion K and disk L thereon, the disk being provided with the opening Z, the pitman M, with its .rear end inserted in the opening Z, the operating-lever 0, connected at its rear end with the pitman M by a hinge-joint, N, and pivoted on the central part of the cross bar a and provided in its front end with a notch, 0 to straddle the pin 6 of the cutter-bar, and the lever I, pivoted to the side bar of the main frame and carrying one end of the shaft H, and adapted, when raised, to disengage the pinion g from the gear-wheel G, and when lowered to engage a notch in the side bar of the main frame and hold said pinion in engagement with the said gear-wheel, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own Ihavehereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses,

GEORGE J. PARHAM.

Witnesses:

JOHN W. HUDsoN, JOHN E. lVIALOTT. 

